Dry shaving implement



May 7,' 1940. J. MuRos DRY sHAvING IMPLEMENT Filed Dec. 9. lesa lNvENToRmama M., 1, 19-10v UNITED I STATES v azoaiss nar snavmommnmmr JosephMiu-os, Cambridge, Mass., assignor` to Gillette Safety Razor Company,Boston, Mass., a'eorporation of Delaware appuemen December 9, '1938,ser-m No. 244m;

This invention relates to shaving implements of the type employinga heador holder which is removable intact from .the body of the implement andwhich contains a movable cutter member that is readily disengaged fromthe head.

The object of the present invention is to re- .tain the cutteryieldingly within the head and prevent accidental displacement and losswhen the head is removed from the'handle'of the implement for cleaningor for any other purpose. When the head is assembled in the implement inits operative position the position of the movable cutter is controlledby a connection with its operating mechanism and this mechanism alsoprevents the accidental release and loss of the cutter. However, whenthe head is remover from the handle of the implement, as it often is forpurposes of cleaning, the'operating mechanism is disengaged from thecutter and in implements as heretofore-constructed the cutter is thenfree to slide out of the head and fall upon the floor or down the drainof the sink to the great annoyance of the user. This condition isaggravated by the fact that the cutter is usually a thln,4 fla't bar ofsmall dimensions and is hard to find when once dropped or misplaced.Various mechanical expedients have been tried for retaining or limitingthe movement of the cutter bar but these have not proved satisfactorybecause .of the small space available or because they impose an addedload to the motor of the implement.

The present invention consists in a dry shaving implement having one ormore of its steel head parts permanently magnetized in such manner thatthe cutter is magnetically retained in the head independently of itsoperating mechanism and in whatever position the head may bel placed. Itis contemplated that the external part of the head in' which thestationary shearing teeth are formed or theV cutter bar or both of theseparts may be magnetized according to the design of the shavingimplement. In those implements wherein the outer member of the head issubstantially U-shaped it is desirable to magnetize this part since thecutter. bar interposed between its two side portlons acts as a keepercompleting the magnetic circuit and thus maintains the stationary memberpermanently and fully magnetized. In this or in other constructions itmay be sufiicient to magnetize the' cutter bar only.

In all instances it will be noied, however, that on account of its smallamplitude, the movement of the cutter bar takes place entirely withinthe magnetic iield of the head so that no additional side members li arerisidly secured together by duty is imposed on the motor. On the other.hand, when the cutter bar is moved substantially out of mid positionfurther movement is increasingly resisted and the weight of the cutterbar is insuflicient to disenga'ge it leven though the head 6 may be heldwith its major axis vertical. The pcssibilityof accidental displacementand loss of the cutter bar is thus obviated although the cutter bar maystill be forceably removed at any time desired by the user.

It is within the scope of the invention to magnetize both the outerparts and the cutter parts of the implement and under these conditions avery desirablecondition may be realized, that is to say, the correctrelation, end-for-end, of the cutter and the head may be insured, for ifthe attempt is made to insert the cutter wrong end first the polarity ofthe cutter is such as to cause it at once to be ejected by the repulsionof like poles. verse the cutter bar and insert it under conditions whichtend to draw it into the head rather than to expel it.

These and other features of the invention will be best understood andappreciated from-the follow- 'illustrative purposes in an implement ofthe type disclosed in the co-pending application of Muros & Lewando,Serial No. 154,376, filed July 19, 1937. Only so'much of the implementis illustrated. as 40 is required for a complete understanding of theinvention. It includes in its structure a handle l of HBakelite" orsimilar material which serves also as a casing for the motor of theimplement. The end of the operating lever H oscillated by the motor isshown in Figs. 2 and 8 but the motor itself is not shown in the drawingsince it forms no part of the invention.

The casing is'provided at its ends with transverse parallel flanges orribs IZ forming a socljlet for the metallic head of the implement. Thehead comprises a pair of steel side members l3 each provided with aninwardly overhanging flange' ll,l slotted to provide stationaryshearingteeth. Tie .u

The user is thus warned that he must re- 2; A'

bolts lt passing through spacing blocks iii. The blocks IS together withthe side walls of the members 13 and their flanges id form an elongatedpassage in which the cutter bar Elvis arranged for reciprocation. Thecutter is fianged in its outer side and slotted to supply shearing teeth58 which co-operate with the stationary teeth of the head. The innerface of the cutter I? is provided with a central notch to receive theouter end of the operating lever ii and vis further provided with twointermediate notches or depressions to receive the ends of springplungers l which project yieldingly from casings 23 located incorresponding sockets in the handle lil. It will be understood that thefunction of the spring plungers 99 'i's toI hold the cutter i? pressedyieldingly outwardly'so that its teeth 98 make shearing engagementWitl'il the stationary teeth of the head. v

The spring plunger 69 and its casing 28 are assembled in a novelmannerparticularly adapting them for use in dry Shaving implements.

Each plunger is provided with an enlarged flat circular head locatedwithin the flanged outer end of the caslng and from the inner face ofthe head projects a short guide stud by which a coiled conipressionspring is centered within the casing. The flanged end of the casingfurnishes an opening of greater diameter than the plunger HS so that thelatter may rock freely as the cutter reciprocates while the fiattenedhead of the plunger is always pressed yieldingly outward so that noOpening ever occurs into which the Shaving debris might find its wayinto the casing' Z.

In Figs. 1 and 2 the head is shown as secured in operative position'withinV its socket in the handle. In this position the cutter ll isengaged'both by the operating lever H and the spring plungers 09, sothat it is positively prevented from passing endwise out of the passagein which it reciprocates in the head. It is necessary or convenient,however, frequently to release the head and remove the cutter il. Thehead ES and the cutter ll enclosed therein form a completeself-contained unit and when the head ls released it may he removed fromthe handle in rintact condition with the cutter therein. -When the headis released from its socket and moved outwardly with respect to thehandle as shown in Fig. 3 both the operating lever i i and the springplungers it are disengaged from their respective members 93 and theintermediate blocks 95. A

powerful permanent' magnet of approtely U-shaped cross-section is thusprovided end between the sides of this is mounted the rectangular steelcutter bar i? which thus acts as a keeper to complete the path of themagnet circuit.

When the cutter l'l is in its operative' position it is entirelyenclosed by the head and its operk ating amplitude of movement is notcarried out of the magnetic field of the head. Consequently, themagnetism of the head .has little or no retarding effect upon the normalshearing Vstrake of the cutter. If the cutter is so small that it shouldbe displaced to any substantial amount the magn'etic force of the headtends strongly vto arrest further movement and this is suiiicient toovercome the weight of the cutter and prevent it from dropping out ofthe head. In Fig. 3 the cutter is shown as displaced to the 'point atwhich its falling movement is magnetically arrested. Thus accidentaldisplacement of the cutter is obviated although the user' may at anyytime forcibly overcome the magnetic attraction between the two membersand so remove the cutter,

While I prefer to. magnetize the head, useful results may be secured bymagnetizing the cutter alone or by magnetizing both the head and thecutter. In the latter case an additionalad- Vantage may be secured byimparting magnetism of opposite polarity to the two members whenassembled in the proper relation. Under these conditions the cuttertends always 'to assume its normal mld-position when inserted with theproper end flrst while, if the attempt is made. to insert the wrong endof the cutter, the like polar-g ity of the parts tends to ejcct thecutter and so warn the user that the' parts are improperly assembled.This is important because the cutter lable steel head which ismagnetized and vsubstantially U-shapcd in cross section, and areciprocatory steel cutter contained within the head forming therewith aremovable "self-contained unit and serving as a keeper between thesidcsof the magnetized head the cutter being removable from the head byendwise movement.

2. A dryshaving implement having a handle; a self-contained unitcomprising a shearing head member enclosing a reciprocatory cuttermember, mechanism within the handle operatively connected to said cuttermember and positively Vliu'iiting its movement within the head member,

clamping means for holding the head member in- Vplace in the handle,said means being releasable to disengage the head. member for removal inintact condition as a unit with the enclosed cutter 99 member therein,one of said members being magnetizcd i to retain the cutter member whenthe said unit is so -removed from the handle.

